The Caftans in Topkapi Palace Istanbul – Style and Status of the Ottoman Period
Kaftans in Topkapi Palace Sultanahmet Istanbul - Style and Status of the Ottoman Period
The caftans of the sultans had an importance place in their social and political lives. According to a famous incident related to Turkish folk personality in the 13th century, Nasreddin Hoja, once he went to attend a wedding feast in ordinary dress and he was not given any attention. But, when he came back dressed in a fur coat, he was welcomed and given the place of honor. Such was the impression of good clothes in that period.
The fact is that dress was and is still an important status symbol in the world. Talking about the dress of the bygone period, how can we forget to mention the caftans worn by the sultans in the Ottoman period which were considered to be symbolic of their power? Apart from the political power of the wearer, these caftans also expressed the taste and the creativity of the art of that period.
The rich and spectacular caftans worn by the sultans in the Ottoman period are displayed in the exhibition titled – ‘Style and Status: Imperial Costumes from Ottoman Turkey’ at the Freer and Arthur Sackler Galleries in Washington’s Smithsonian Museum.
The caftans displayed in the exhibition had been borrowed from the Topkapi Palace Museum as well as from the Mevlana Museum in Konya and the Hermitage of St. Petersburg in Russia. Apart from the caftans, the exhibition also displays cushions, headgear and floor coverings of fabrics.
But, the caftans in intricate designs and fabulous colors are the greatest attraction for the visitors. The long caftans were especially stitched on order for the sultan and other family members and added weight to the grandeur appearance of the wearer. While some caftans are front-open, others have slits on the sides and are either long or short sleeved.
The caftans with a longer second sleeve known as ‘yen’ were the outer caftans worn for special ceremonies. Many of these caftans were made by using fabrics including silk, satin, velvet or brocade and were adorned with embellishments like furs or diamonds and emeralds. The caftans made from ‘seraser’ or the silk brocade were the most costly and hence, most favorite in the Ottoman period. The work of interweaving the finest fabrics like brocade was performed under the supervision of the ‘Head Brocade Maker’.
However, the majority of caftans used and worn in the Ottoman period were made of satin or ‘atlas’. The most widely worn colors of these satin caftans worn by the sultans were red, green and blue. Apart from the satin caftans, caftans were also made from fabrics including velvet, selimiye (a type of silk), ‘cuha’, ‘hatai’ and ‘gezi’.
Now, lets talk about some of the most common motifs used in caftans worn by the sultans in the Ottoman period. Motifs including big pine cone, tree leaf or pomegranate designs were widely used on caftans. In the 16th century, motifs of tulip, dot motifs and cloud motifs were also in high demand.
The sultans preferred wearing Chinese cloud motif on their caftans which was named ‘Chintamani’. It was because a caftan with such a motif was symbolic of win over the enemy. Another motif which was in great demand in the 17th century was the carnation motif on caftans.
In the Ottoman period, caftans in stripes were favored over those in solid colors. Not just the sultans or their families, the caftans were worn by officials of the palace and highly ranked foreigners. Whatever may the symbolic meaning of these caftans, one thing is for certain, that the caftans reflect the rich taste and culture to which they belong.
February 9th, 2010 - 20:56
Please will you tell me more about this fascinating garment:
Madonna and Child with cintamani on a kaftan – above. Is it in the Topkapi Museum? For whom was it made? How old is it? What a surprising combination of Christian & Muslim features on a single garment!